Kim Ha-yun captures S. Korea's first judo gold in Hangzhou

HANGZHOU -- Kim Ha-yun delivered South Korea its first judo gold medal of the ongoing Asian Games in China on Tuesday. Kim defeated Xu Shiyan of China by waza-ari, or a half point, for the gold medal in the women's +78kg class at Xiaoshan Linpu Gymnasium in Hangzhou. Kim's was South Korea's first Asiad gold medal in this weight division. Kim earned her decisive score 43 seconds into the match with "O-soto-gari," or a large outer reap. Kim didn't give Xu much roo

Sept. 26, 2023

Young swimmer enjoys self-fulfilling prophecy in gold medal-winning race

  HANGZHOU, China -- After sending a message to the rest of the swimming competition at the Asian Games by winning the men's 50-meter freestyle heats Monday morning, South Korean swimmer Ji Yu-chan said he would take it a step further. Ji set an Asian Games record with 21.84 seconds to top all qualifiers at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena in the heats. With his confidence running at an all-time high, Ji declared he was now ready to win the gold medal in the final schedul

Sept. 25, 2023

S. Korea secures at least silver in men's table tennis team; women take bronze

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea secured at least the silver medal in the men's table tennis team event of the ongoing Asian Games in China on Monday, while the women's team took bronze following its loss in the semifinals earlier in the day. In the men's semifinals, South Korea knocked off Iran 3-0 by winning its first three singles matches at Gongshu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium in Hangzhou. Leading off for South Korea, Lim Jong-hoon defeated Nima Alamian in the first singles mat

Sept. 25, 2023

S. Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk wins gold in men's individual sabre

  HANGZHOU, China -- South Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk claimed the gold medal in the men's individual sabre at the 19th Asian Games in China, ending a decadelong Asiad reign by his compatriot Gu Bon-gil. Oh beat Gu 15-7 in the all-Korean gold medal match held at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, revenging the Gu-Oh showdown held five years ago. It is Oh's first Asian Games title and the country's second gold from fencing at Hangzhou following Choi In-jeong's gold in women's ind

Sept. 25, 2023

S. Korean Ji Yu-chan grabs stunning swimming gold

  HANGZHOU, China -- South Korean swimmer Ji Yu-chan soared to a shock gold medal in the men's 50-meter freestyle at the Asian Games here Monday. Ji won his first career Asiad gold with an Asian Games record time of 21.72 seconds at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena in Hangzhou. He beat out Ho Ian Yentou of Hong Kong by 0.15 second. The reigning 100m freestyle champion, Pan Zhanle of China, took the bronze in 21.92 seconds. Ji's was South Korea's first swimming gold medal

Sept. 25, 2023

Jang Jun wins gold in men's -58kg taekwondo at Hangzhou

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea's Jang Jun claimed the gold medal in his first Asiad taekwondo appearance, winning the men's -58kg title at the 19th Asian Games in China on Monday. He defeated Mahdi Hajimousaeinafouti of Iran 2-0 in the gold medal match for the men's -58kg competition at Lin'an Sports Culture & Exhibition Centre in the host city of Hangzhou. The victory brought Jang the first Asiad medal and South Korea the third gold from the Korean martial art followin

Sept. 25, 2023

S. Korean Lee Joon-hwan wins silver in judo

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea's Lee Joon-hwan grabbed silver in men's judo at the 19th Asian Games in China on Monday, one of three judo medals for the country on Day 2 of the medal race. Lee lost to Somon Makhmadbekov of Tajikistan by waza-ari, or a half point, in the final of the men's -81kg event at Xiaoshan Linpu Gymnasium in Hangzhou on Monday. Makhmadbekov scored his decisive point with Harai-goshi-gaeshi, or a hip sweep counter, at the 2:14 mark. Lee struggled to mount m

Sept. 25, 2023

'Be like Leo': S. Korean taekwondo champion inspired by Lionel Messi's World Cup title

HANGZHOU, China (Yonhap) -- South Korean taekwondo practitioner Kang Wan-jin, who had the honor of winning the country's first gold of the 19th Asian Games in China on Sunday, drew his inspiration from an unlikely source. Kang, crowned the champion of the men's individual poomsae event in Hangzhou, watched in awe as Argentine football hero Lionel Messi carried his country to the FIFA World Cup title last December. It was the first career World Cup title for Messi in what could have bee

Sept. 24, 2023

Esports legend Faker seeks to lead Korean surge at Asian Games

Among the biggest names in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou is South Korean Lee Sang-hyeok, better known by his gaming handle Faker and reputed to be one of the greatest esports players of all time. The 27-year-old is part of the country’s delegation of 1,140 athletes and officials participating in the Asian Games that kicked off Saturday. Led by Lee, South Korea has formed a national team of 15 players competing in four of seven categories of esports, which is making its debut as a medal

Sept. 24, 2023

Modern pentathlete Kim Sun-woo wins silver for S. Korea's 1st medal in Hangzhou

South Korean modern pentathlete Kim Sun-woo won silver for the country's first medal at the 19th Asian Games on Sunday. Kim scored 1,386 points in total to take home the silver medal in the final of the women's individual modern pentathlon at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou at the ongoing summer Asian Games. She finished 20 points behind Chinese Zhang Mingyu, while China's Bian Yufei took bronze with 1,374 points. Kim's silver was her third consecutive Asian Games medal, following her tea

Sept. 24, 2023

Sabre fencer, swimming relay team eye historic medals

South Korean fencer Gu Bon-gil will take aim at history when he takes the piste for the men's individual sabre event at the Asian Games in China on Monday. Gu is already the only fencer to have won three consecutive Asiad gold medals in an individual discipline. He can push his record further out of reach for others by winning another title at Hangzhou Dianzi University Gymnasium in Hangzhou. For his past two gold medals, Gu took down his South Korean teammates: Kim Jung-hwan in 2014 and Oh

Sept. 24, 2023

Swimmer Lee Ho-joon enjoys flying under radar

South Korean swimmer Lee Ho-joon has spent the past few years in the shadow of his more famous relay teammate, Hwang Sun-woo. When the two aren't teaming up for the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay, Lee and Hwang engage in an internal competition in the men's 200m freestyle. Hwang is the more accomplished athlete of the two, having won silver and then bronze in the 200m freestyle at the past two World Aquatics Championships. Lee, though, took a big step forward at this year'

Sept. 22, 2023

[Graphic News] Schedule of competitions for Korean athletes at Hangzhou Asian Games

　South Korea has opted to send 1,140 athletes to compete in 39 of 40 events in its largest delegation ever to the Asian Games, scheduled to begin on Sept. 23 and end on Oct. 8 in Hangzhou, China. 　The first medal events will take place Sunday. 　South Korea is setting its sights to grab around 40 to 50 gold medals and finish within third place of overall medal standings, with its main rivals to be China and Japan. 　At the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, South Korea ranked third with 49 gold me

Sept. 22, 2023

S. Korea to open men's volleyball tournament Wednesday with eye on 15th consecutive medal

South Korea will open the Asian Games men's volleyball tournament in Hangzhou on Wednesday, launching a bid for the country's 15th consecutive medal at the continental event. South Korea will begin Pool C action against India at Linping Sports Centre Gymnasium in Hangzhou at 7 p.m. Wednesday, or 8 p.m. the same evening in South Korea. South Korea will then play Cambodia on Thursday to wrap up the preliminary stage. There are six groups in action, with Pools A to E each featuring three

Sept. 19, 2023

S. Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok wins Diamond League Final

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has captured the Diamond League Final title, becoming the first athlete from the country to win the prestigious athletics event. Woo matched his own national record height of 2.35 meters to capture the men's high jump gold medal at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday. Woo also took home $30,000 in prize money. It is the same venue where Woo soared to the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2022. For the field events, only the

Sept. 17, 2023

S. Korean sports administrator Kim Jae-youl nominated for IOC membership

Veteran South Korean sports administrator Kim Jae-youl is set to become a member of the International Olympic Committee membership, with his candidacy expected to be ratified next month. The Swiss-based IOC announced on its website Friday that its executive board had approved the nomination of eight candidates for election. IOC members will vote on their candidacy during the IOC Session in Mumbai in October, a process regarded as a formality. Kim, president of the International Skating Union, is

Sept. 9, 2023

Seoul city launches break dance team, fields 2 dancers to compete in Asian Games

The Seoul city government has launched a break dance team to nurture competitors for the new Olympic sport, and two dancers from the team will compete in the upcoming Asian Games in China, officials said Wednesday. Breaking, also known as break dancing, has been newly added to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. It is also an official sport at the Asian Games in China's Hangzhou that will run Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. The city's new works team has been formed under a consensus with the cultur

Sept. 6, 2023

[Graphic News] Hangzhou to host largest-ever Asian Games: organizers

China’s COVID-delayed Asian Games are set to be the largest ever, organizers said, as host city Hangzhou ramps up preparations ahead of the opening ceremony in September. The Games in Hangzhou were due to take place in September 2022 but were postponed by a year because of China’s strict “zero-COVID” rules. Over 12,500 athletes from 45 countries and regions have signed up, with organizing official Ding Jiong telling reporters that Hangzhou would host “the Asian Game

Sept. 1, 2023

Pro-basketball team KCC Egis to move home from Jeonju to Busan

The professional basketball team KCC Egis will relocate its home base from the southwestern city of Jeonju to Busan on the southeast coast. The Korea Basketball League on Wednesday approved a proposal to move the team's home city during a board meeting held at the KBL center in southern Seoul. The KCC Egis was founded in 2001 in Jeonju after acquiring the Hyundai Gullivers, a team based in the central city of Daejeon, and moving the home city. With the approval, the team will bid farewell t

Aug. 30, 2023

S. Korea wins men's doubles title, enjoys record haul at badminton world championships

The South Korean badminton duo of Seo Seung-jae and Kang Min-hyuk have struck gold in the men's doubles at the world championships in Denmark, giving their country a record title haul. Seo and Kang, world No. 6, rallied to defeat 11th-ranked Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark 14-21, 21-15, 21-17 for the men's doubles crown at the Badminton World Federation World Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday (local time). Seo and Kang are the first South Korean men's double

Aug. 28, 2023